With Shreyas Iyer ruled out of India’s ODI series against South Africa due to a rib injury, former India player Mohammad Kaif has picked his choice to bat at No. 4. Kaif reckoned that Dhruv Jurel should slot in, stating that he can mould his game according to the situation as well.
Reflecting on India’s choice for No. 4, Kaif said in the latest video on his YouTube channel, ‘Mohammad Kaif’: “Dhruv Jurel should bat at number four because he has an organized technique. He can stabilise the innings if wickets fall early. He can mould his game according to the situation. Jurel also has the potential to finish the game well. A batter like Shreyas Iyer is needed at number four. Iyer helped Virat Kohli quite a bit, especially in the 2023 World Cup. Kohli used to play his natural game, taking singles and doubles along with the odd boundary. Iyer used to dominate in the middle overs due to which India were in an advantageous position most of the time. I think Jurel has to take an approach similar to Iyer.”
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“I don’t see Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad getting an opportunity in the first game. KL Rahul will play at five. Then there is Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. So, there is batting till No.8. Spin department is complete – Sundar, Jadeja, Kuldeep. But if Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana make it to the eleven, who is the third seamer? I don’t consider Reddy as the third seamer, he can be the fourth. Reddy can bowl 3-5 overs but the first-change bowler is equally important. So, Hardik Pandya is that missing link,” he further added.
However, Kaif also said that Dhruv Jurel is ahead of Pant as far as ODIs go, considering that the latter is returning to the team after a long time.
“I think Dhruv Jurel is ahead of Rishabh Pant in the pecking order if you consider the playing eleven. He is playing well in Tests, scoring hundreds and is a compact batter. Pant is returning for 2-3 years. I remember Pant scoring a hundred in 2022 in England but plenty of players came after that. His form dipped and couldn’t quite click as a white-ball player. He is not that good in white-ball cricket – averaging 33 in ODIs. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, averages 56 in ODIs. There is a void at number six, seven where Hardik Pandya bats. So, a player like Nitish Kumar Reddy needs to prove he can be that finisher. Ravindra Jadeja is not an ODI finisher. KL Rahul does well but cannot score as briskly as Pandya. Someone like Shivam Dube can do well. It’s good Pant is getting an opportunity but I’m surprised Samson is not there despite having a good record,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.
